2018 Featured Speaker - Kim Scott, Author of Radical Candor

Kim Scott is the author of the NYT & WSJ bestseller Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss without Losing your Humanity. Kim led AdSense, YouTube, and Doubleclick Online Sales and Operations at Google and then joined Apple to develop and teach a leadership seminar. Kim has been a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and several other tech companies.

Previously, Kim was the co-founder and CEO of Juice Software, a collaboration start-up, and led business development at Delta Three and Capital Thinking. Earlier in her career, she worked as a senior policy advisor at the FCC, managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo, started a diamond cutting factory in Moscow, and was an analyst on the Soviet Companies Fund. Kim received her MBA from Harvard Business School and her BA from Princeton University. She is the author of three novels; she and her husband Andy Scott are parents of twins and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

​“Radical Candor is a simple idea: to be a good boss, you have to Care Personally at the same time that you Challenge Directly. When you challenge without caring it's obnoxious aggression; when you care without challenging it's ruinous empathy. When you do neither it's manipulative insincerity. This simple framework can help you build better relationships at work, and fulfill your three key responsibilities as a leader: creating a culture of feedback (praise and criticism), building a cohesive team, and achieving results you're all proud of.”

2018 Opening Speaker - Dave Urso, Founder of Dynamic Consulting

Dave Urso has been teaching seminars and developing leaders for almost 18 years. In that time, he’s developed an approach that sets him apart. His naturally energetic and interactive style carries over into his sessions and makes listening to him a pleasure. No matter the context of your interaction, two things are pretty much guaranteed – he’s going to talk really fast and he’s going to do something unexpected!His mission is to serve as a catalyst of change by engaging others in inspired leadership.His vision is to set the bar for high-quality leadership development and mentorship.His programs and services are based on four guiding values:

Every product, program, and deliverable is a sign of EXCELLENCE and pride.

In lieu of cookie cutter templates, advice is centered on being fresh and offering INNOVATION.

Interactions are tended to in the hopes of instilling INSPIRATION.

All efforts are a customized PARTNERSHIP intended to move a specific community forward towards a goal.

His philosophy is that we all have untapped potential within us. The core issue is about identity development at the individual level. Once we know who we are, we can live as that person with confidence. When we pair up with someone who has the unique ability to ask the right question in the right way at the right moment, we put ourselves in the best possible position to succeed. Leadership trainers and coaches need to understand that our roles are less about spoon feeding our partners through a predetermined set of stages and focus instead on instigating reflective thinking and pushing productive dialogue. This philosophy leads him to highly customize his services to meet the goals of his partners. The time and energy spent to set the right path at the front end is recovered with interest at the conclusion.